Helping You
Helping You Ever felt like fate just can't make up it's mind? Like it just suddenly wants you dead, but doesn't let you die? Contents Part One i ii iii iv Part Two i ii iii iv v vi vii Part Three Part Four Part Five Helping You is a fan fiction written by Luster. Please don't take credit for writing it, or take pieces from it, or any of that stuff...The characters, Genny and Ally, belong to me, so please don't use them without permission. Fate can never seem to make a decision. It likes to throw curveballs at you, likes to fake you out, and likes to just do what it wants. Sometimes, those things are good...or lethal. Part One It starts off really nice and subtle... "Oh-kaayyyy", she sighed, her hazel eyes squinted and strained, "so I neeeeed-" she lifted her talon to her snout, reading the illegible handwriting on her wrist. "Gouache." She lowered her arm back to the floor and stretched her body up, her front paws lifting off the dusty tiles as she tried to read with half-blind eyes. She mumbled to herself "I don't even know what gouache even is. I think it's kinda like watercolor...?" She surveyed the isle, the towering stacks of art supplies overwhelming her small stature. She flared her wings to keep balance. "Okay Genny, is that it?" She asked herself, grabbing a tube of vibrant ultramarine paint from a rack of countless other colors. She examined the label under the fluorescent lighting of the store. She strained her eyes, squinting to try to read the label. "Goooo uash? Yes? I think so. Oh well, it'll have to do." She said, shrugging, turning to exit the isle and make her way to the checkout. She wasn't paying much attention, and sent herself careening blindly into someone, who raised their claws and caught her before she could actually collide into them. Genny gasped and quickly scrambled back, blushing furiously. She bowed her head, not looking at whoever she had bumped into. "I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going and-" "Heyy," the other dragon cut her off. The voice was clearly feminine, and laced with a very slight Skypointe accent. "Don't freak out, it's fine. I was just coming over here...you sounded like you could've used some help?" she said questioningly, and Genny looked up, squinting at the other dragon. This newcomer was a young SeaWing, around eleven years old, maybe twelve. She had really pale, light blue scales and dark grey-blue underscales. She was wearing a white, sleeveless shirt with the two letters "F. U." in big, bold black print on the front. Over that, she had a sleeveless, cropped leather jacket and a pair of torn dark skinny jeans. She also had an elaborate tattoo of what looked like a bunch of roses on her left shoulder. After a few more seconds of examination, she realized this SeaWing had decently-sized gauges, a few other earrings, and a septum piercing that rested right above her lips. Genny stopped staring and blushed again. "Oh, was I actually talking out loud?" The other dragon nodded, an amused smirk on her face. "Oh...yeah um, I was just looking for some gouache...found it." She added cheerily, brandishing the tube of ultramarine paint. The other dragon raised an eye ridge. "Uh, that's oil paint. Gouache is right here-" she said, grabbing a tube of the same blue from a different spot on the shelves. "Ultramarine, right?" she asked, offering the paint to the little SkyWing. Genny squinted at the bottle that was being handed to her. "Oh, uh..." She nervously took the paint, "thanks." The SeaWing chuckled, "No problem. My name's Ally by the way." Genny read the name tag on her shirt, which read something that looked like Derek. Her eye ridges furrowed in confusion until she realized it actually said Dalek. "Well, thank you Ally. I'm Genny," she stated, "with a G. Lots of people spell it wrong and use a J...but it's a G..." She went on, realizing she was making everything really awkward. Ally raised an eye ridge. "Ah, then it's nice to meet you, Genny with a G. I'm around if you need any help with anything else. You should get some glasses sometime. It might help," she added and winked. It was only after she winked that Genny noticed that the SeaWing's eyes were different colors. The left one was a pale turquoise, and the other was a shiny cobalt blue. Ally turned gracefully and sauntered out of the isle, heading to the checkout. Genny, now awkward and alone, quickly placed the old tube of oil paint on the shelf. Not wanting to be weird, she exited the isle the other way. Don't want her thinking I'm weird...or at least any weirder than I already am... chunk 11 "Please," the NightWing beside her growled, snapping his head in her direction. Genny sank in her seat from the harshness of his tone. "Stop tapping your pencil." He hissed, turning back to his work, leaving Genny to sit in shocked silence. She felt herself blushing from embarrassment, eating herself from the inside. Moons, I really hate being yelled at...''She put her pencil down and looked around the classroom, squinting. She shifted in her seat, her black and red flannel shirt rustling softly. She couldn't read the board, despite the fact that she was sitting in the front row. Beside and behind her, pencils were scribbling equations down furiously; she had already completed all the assigned problems. She tried occupying herself by counting the number of mistakes the teacher had made while trying to put colored paper into an even pattern, but gave up after the number exceeded the claws on her two talons. She closed her eyes tightly and sighed, resting her elbows on her desk and clutching the brim of her dark grey beanie, yanking it down over her eyes and huffing irritably. She sunk back in her chair, and contemplated slamming her snout against the desk just before the bell rang. She moved with incredible speed, jumping up in a frenzy of cloth, scale, and paper, and she snatched her notebook off the desk, hoisted her backpack onto her shoulder, and all but ran from the room. She raced out the doorway, the halls slowly flooding with other bodies of all shapes, sizes, and colors. She skillfully dodged them as she barreled down the corridor, reaching the end of the hall and sliding, turning sharply to leap at a flight of stairs. With the tails of her flannel flying, she all but fell down the stairs, skipping steps and flailing ungracefully. She reached the bottom with a thud, almost toppling over, her momentum carrying her deathly close to a group of Flyball players. She dashed down the corridor, rushing to get to the cafeteria. She finally reached her table and plopped down in her seat, chest heaving. She was one of three dragons already in the cafe, and she claimed her usual seat on the end of one of the girl tables. In the high school social hierarchy, Gennaia was very confused on her standpoint. She was a junior, so she did have the advantage of being an upperclassman but wasn't "popular", per say. She sat at the girl table, yes, but it was more of the "catch all" table, with all the leftover girls who didn't really fit in anywhere else and all had very little in common. Dragons at her table ranged from those whose sole purpose was learning; those were the "nerds". There were also the girls who wore pounds of makeup and not-so-modest clothes; those were the "skanks". And then there were the goths and punks, who listened to their music and spoke and ate very little. And ''then there was Genny. She didn't really fit in any of those categories, but more had minor features from all of them. So she resided at the reject table; and with that, she was perfectly content. She would much rather sit at the reject table than at the other girl table with... It was almost as if just thinking about her summoned her, because just as Genny thought about her, she emerged into the cafeteria. Gympia. Lots of dragons despised her because of her outrageously good looks, uncanny intelligence, and overall perfection. She was a RainWing, a rather wealthy senior at that, with scales that were usually a soft seafoam green, with tendrils of smokey white and splatters of dark teal. She had striking violet eyes, and the makeup around them accentuated that fact. She usually wore dark skinny jeans and a pale, flowy blouse, with a pale, usually white scarf around her neck. She was, without exaggeration, one of the most gorgeous dragons in the school. And despite her many lovers and admirers, and all the deadbeats that just needed to work up the courage to ask her out, she was still single. She had had past flings with a couple Flyball players, but nothing that really worked out well at all. Unfortunately, Genny fit under the "deadbeat" section of that list. She could never bring herself to do it, but she always really wished she could manage the audacity to at least speak to Gympia. The little SkyWing had had a crush on her since she was a freshman, and with her now being a junior, and with Gympia graduating in a few months, time was running out. Genny spent her lunch staring at Gympia discreetly from behind her backpack, squinting so she could see anything more than a blurry haze of colors. She didn't eat; she never did. She just sat in silence, with a cold talon gripping her shoulder and an aching pain in her stomach. chunk 12 Bang! Genny flinched violently, squeaking. There was a loud bang above her head, slamming against the locker above her head. She cowered with her snout in her claws, dropping her book to the floor in shock. Her locker was open, it's contents spilling to the floor around her feet. From behind her there was a manic cackle. The laugh was easily recognizable: Cygnas. The resident bully of the school, who fed off of fear and power. He was a burly IceWing, and one of the offensive players on the varsity Flyball team. Genny froze, panicking. Her breathing sped up and became hurried and shallow, and her heart was pounding in her ears. She cursed herself for being so afraid: she was cornered like this so often that she should be used to it by now. A heavy talon grabbed her shoulder roughly and whirled her around. "Hey, look at me-" Genny cringed at the awful curses they called her. She kept her head down, her entire body shivering violently. When she didn't respond to Cygnas, he scoffed and shoved her back into the lockers, and she hit her head hard against the metal. Her vision, while already hazy and blurred, completely dropped out for a few seconds and her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't move, and then the MudWing advanced on her, pinning her against the lockers with his snout in her face. His eyes were cold and merciless. Genny felt a trickle of warm blood slither down her neck. Her vision came back in spots, and her head was lightly and airy. Tears streaked her cheeks as she stood frozen, paralyzed with fear. "I don't want you so much as looking at any of the girls in this school," he trailed his statement with a long line of swears. "I won't be having a lesbian stealing any of the girls in this school. Understand?" He growled. Genny had her eyes clamped shut tightly, and she nodded, still dizzy from crashing into the lockers. Cygnas snorted smugly and pushed himself off the lockers, wheeling back to his little pod of friends. They all glared at her coldly and then left her, alone and bleeding, to clean up her mess. chunk 13 "Wooaahhhh, what happened to you?" Ally asked, rounding the corner and walking briskly down the isle. Genny stood, squinting at rows upon rows of paintbrushes. Her head snapped in the direction of the voice, and she grinned sheepishly. Quick, gotta think of some lie that's believable..."Uh, I just fell on the way over. Nothing big." She downplayed it, turning back to brows back in the brushes. By then Ally had reached her, and was raising her eyebrow worriedly. "You sure it's nothing big? It looks like your head is bleeding..." She said, stretching her neck so she could try to find the wound. Genny wheeled out of the way, not wanting to get too caught up in this mess. "Oh, is it? Well I'm sure it's just something small. Nothing big." She repeated. Ally frowned, but let it drop. She followed Genny's line of sight to the paintbrushes. "You need paintbrushes? What kind?" Genny blushed embarrassedly. "I...actually don't know. I need something that's good for gouache...I didn't realize I didn't have a paintbrush for it." Ally laughed cheerfully, "Ah yeah, we've all been there. You'll need something with synthetic bristles," she said, grabbing Genny's shoulders to steer her towards the synthetic brushes. Genny shivered at the touch, but tried to keep herself distracted from the SeaWing, who she couldn't help but notice was extremely attractive, by squinting at the racks of brushes. Ally snorted, leaning in front of the SkyWing's vision. Her different colored eyes looked back into Genny's, who jumped as her view was suddenly filled with pale blue scales. "You should really get some glasses. Can you see anything?" She asked incredulously, raising her eyebrows. Genny blushed violently, nervous about staring into the eyes of someone pretty. She took a step back and looked at the tiled ground, ashamed. "Uh, I actually have...glasses. I just...don't...wear...them..." She said shyly, still not making eye contact with Dalek. Ally scoffed, "Why not? It looks like you can't see anything! How many claws am I holding up?" She asked, her blurry image shifting slightly. Genny squinted, her hazel eyes barely slits. "Ahhhh...five?" She asked, completely guessing. Ally dropped her talon to her side, her head cocked smugly. "No. Two." Genny laughed, "Eh, same thing". Part Two Then you get the feeling that everything is perfect... The wind chimes on the door jingled as Gennaia pushed the glass door open, a wall of warmth and the thick smell of coffee greeting her as she entered. She nervously stepped in, the door closing behind her. She made her way to the counter, her hazel eyes darting around the tiny corner-coffee shop. There seemed to be only a few other dragons seated at the tables; she could only see hazy blobs of color, but by the looks of it there was a SeaWing, SkyWing, MudWing, and possibly a SandWing, though their scales were very similar to the color scheme of the shop. Feeling slightly safer, the little SkyWing went to the counter, placing her talons nervously on the fake wood grain. A stunning young SandWing appeared, wearing the dark brown visor on her head and the popular chain's uniform: a white colored shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a dark chocolate brown apron-type thing with a nametag and logo on the top right side. Her name...well, Genny couldn't read the tag, but it may have started with a B. She had rich golden-white scales that complimented the color scheme of the store, and her black eyes glittered happily. She looked about the SkyWing's age, maybe a bit older. She greeted her with a warm smile, preparing her claws to take the order. "Welcome to 'Where've you bean?', what would you like?" Her voice was calm and sweet. Genny took a second to think. "I'll have - uh - the..." She sputtered nervously, her insides squirming. "a latte I guess. No whipped creme or any of that stuff..." She added quietly. The SandWing smiled lightly and nodded, turning to make the coffee. Genny stood awkwardly, pulling on her hood and fixing the collar of her shirt under her hoodie. She examined herself for the fiftieth time; she was wearing high-waisted black jeans with tears on the knees, a black and white plaid collared, buttoned shirt, and a grey hoodie, half zipped. She wore very little makeup on the weekends, and what little she wore was usually smudged all over her face. She knew she looked like trash, but she also knew that most girls were straight, and wouldn't really be put off, romantically that is, by a gross slob like her. She could fend off guys relatively well, but around girls she froze up: her plan was that if she looked gross, no girls would go near her, thus protecting her from making a complete idiot of herself. However, this plan rarely worked. The SandWing returned with the coffee, setting it down on the counter. She glanced up at Genny, "That'll be...three fifty eight, please." She said politely, pushing the coffee towards her. Genny nodded thanks and produced a five dollar bill from her pocket, placing it on the counter. "Keep the change," she said, grabbing her hot coffee and making her way to the back of the store, in the desolate booth that no one ever sat in; to do so would mean she would have to walk the length of he entire store filled with blurry blobs of color, but it would mean she would be safe from any further interaction...she decided to take the risk. She made sure to keep her head directed forwards to prevent accidental eye contact, and she began her journey to the back booth, praying to the moons that no one would even look up and notice her walking by. She passed by the MudWing and SkyWing without incident, but when she reached the SeaWing's table, it all went crashing down, and her entire plan of being ugly on the weekends exploded in her face like a faulty coffee maker. "Hey!" A familiar voice chirped as Genny passed the table. She visibly winced as if someone had stepped on her tail, and she slowly whirled around, knowing all too well who the SeaWing now was. "Genny with a G, right? Fancy seeing you here, outside the art store," Ally remarked, sucking loudly on a nearly-empty iced coffee. Genny was close enough to actually see her features, noticing her nose ring and her big black gauges. She wore no sleeves again, flaunting her toned arms, and her tattooed shoulder. Her makeup was lighter than usual, and she seemed a bit less...showy. Genny grinned sheepishly, blushing violently. "Aha, yeah...that's me." Crap, why did I have to look like trash today? Why did Ally have to be here?! "With a G." She added awkwardly, standing idly still, her knees wobbling. The SeaWing smiled brightly, a hazy glint of her piercing moving with her lips. "Sit down, stay a while," she said cheerfully, gesturing to a chair across the little table from her. Genny nervously did so: pulling the chair out and sitting down gently. She swallowed hard, and eagerly took a sip of her coffee, sourly remarking to herself that there was too much creme. Ally decided to strike up some conversation; "So, have the paints been doing you well?" She asked, swirling her straw around the empty cup, moving the ice around loudly. Genny looked up from her coffee, quickly avoiding eye contact. "Uh, yeah, yeah they work at least," she cracked, trying to be humorous. Ally smiled, but otherwise waited for more. There was a tense pause. "uh, yeah, well, I'm not very good with them, but you know..." She chuckled lightly, trying to smother the emotions that kept bubbling up her throat. Ally put her cup down on the table, beside the little flower vase, and folded her arms behind her neck, arching her spine backwards over the back of the chair. There were some popping and cracking sounds, and Genny winced slightly. When the SeaWing had folded herself back up as she was before, she spoke. "Well, I'm sure you're at least pretty good. I mean, you have to at least know something about art to have been looking for gouache...very few dragons even know what it is, never mind what they need it for." She complimented happily, absently picking a woogle off her shoulder. "So, what did you need it for? School project?" She asked, resting her head on her palm, which was propped up on her elbow. "Uh, no actually. I haven't taken an art class in...years," she said sheepishly, blushing and chuckling. "No, I'm trying to make a...an entry of sorts, I guess." She she wanted to cut the conversation short so she could get the heck out of there and be in her lonely corner where she wouldn't have to panic over each word she spoke. However, that attempt backfired greatly, as Dalek perked up, intrigued. "And entry? For like a contest?" The white stripes on her snout flickered briefly, but Genny understood it well enough; she was currently in AP Aquatic, despite her own race, and believed what the SeaWing had said roughly translated to "dwtabakkds", or something like that. "It's like...a...a contest. Well...an application I guess. You see, I'm trying to get into this school, Silverfleck School of Arts and Design, and they require a submission of a portfolio...I'm trying to make one of those." She explained, tripping over her own thoughts and words. "SSAD? Isn't that a guy's school?" Ally asked, her eyebrows raised in confusion. Genny blushed violently. "Well...yeah I guess...there's a few girls there though." She had wanted to go to SSAD because it was mostly guys there; she didn't want to have to deal with her rampant emotions while at art school. She just wanted to work on projects and graduate; nowhere on her schedule was 'get a girlfriend'. "But it's a good school, and it's hard to get into..." Ally quickly recovered, "Oh, no, that's not a bad thing...I prefer both genders...in a school system, that is. But I mean, if you're looking for 'a man'" she said it very jokingly and playfully, "then I guess that's the place to go." She laughed good-heartedly. Genny blushed. "Uhh...more like avoiding that problem..." She laughed nervously, and quickly changed the subject, "But yeah I'm just making a portfolio for there...nothing big." She dismissed, prepared to leave. She had nearly finished her coffee, and was eager to leave before she spilled any more personal information. Ally brightened up again, "Well I can help you! I don't work at a craft store for nothing: I know a thing or two about art." She winked. chunk 22 Gennaia blinked in surprise and quickly tried to back out. "Oh, no no, you don't need to help. It's nothing big, I'm sure I can do it by myself..." She trailed off preparing to stand up. Ally raised her pale blue-white snout up and spoke sharply but kindly, as if to keep her from leaving. "No. I want to help. This isn't a matter of if you need help. I'm helping you, and you're gonna like it." The SeaWing ordered playfully, smiling widely: she winked her pale turquoise eye. Genny flushed a vibrant red and panicked. But what if I do like it? What happens then? I can't hang out with a...attractive girl...do I say no? Yes? Oh moons help me, what do I do?! "Uh," she began, her voice cracking nervously, "okay." She said, though it sounded like a question. Ally smiled proudly. "Alright then...do you have a phone?" She asked, twirling the ice in her cup some more. Genny nodded, terrified. "Have a pen I can borrow for a sec?" She asked, nodding to the pen that never left Genny's ear. It always rested behind it in case of emergencies...and now she regretted bringing it everywhere. "Yeah." She choked, grabbing the pen from behind her ear and handed it to Ally; her hand was shaking terribly as she passed it. Ally placed her left arm on the table and uncapped the pen, preparing it over her pale blue scales. Without looking up, she asked "What's your number?" Genny froze, paralyzed. Oh moons. Do I give her my real number? If I give her a fake number, what if she calls them and finds out I lied? Oh moons... She took a deep breath and began reciting. "339...788...86...67." She finished breathlessly, her stomach sinking to the floor. Ally wrote it all on her arm with scrawled, loose and tiny handwriting. "8667?" She clarified. "8667." Genny affirmed, the color draining from her face. Oh no she has my number now... Ally smiled happily and capped the pen, gladly handing it back to the little SkyWing. "Alright, thanks." She glanced at the clock over the exit. "Oh moons is that the time? Well I guess I should be on my way," she stood up, leaving Genny alone and sitting at the table. "You can always come to the store if you need some art supplies," she chirped as she made her way to the exit. Her rose tattoo stood out against her pale scales as she pushed open the glass door. She turned back for one last look at Genny, still at the table. "I'll call you sometime." She winked, and disappeared outside with a gust of fresh air. Genny sat alone at the table, trying to calm down. She sat numbly, one thought racing around her mind: Oh sh-'' chunk 23 Genny was lying on her bed, her stomach against the crumpled, unmade sheets and blankets, the pillow shoved under her neck to prop her chin up. Her tail wrapped around the knob on the dark wooden headboard, and her wings draped limply onto the floor. Her room was a mess; the hardwood was covered with crumpled balls of paper and clothes, as well as books of all ages and lengths. Her closet door was ajar, the hidden mountain of clothes that piled inside were flooding out onto the floor. The room itself was small and cramped, even without the overwhelming clutter on the ground. There was only one tiny window, and a dingy old light fixture on her nightstand to provide light. All over the walls were posters of popular musical icons: Chervo and Flurry from The End, Fiona Parker, and even a flyer for Perplex's show that came to town two years prior. Quiet rock music was playing in the background, radiating from her phone, which was thrown beside her on the bed. Genny propped her head up on her arm, and with the other talon, she wrote: doing homework. ''Stupid properties of radicals...I should be in calculus right now, not some stupid algebra 2 course...''she whizzed through the problems easily, and found herself done with her work sooner than she had imagined. So she began thinking, her music playing tamely in the backdrop. ''Stupid school...I really wish I could just drop out or something, but my parents would '''KILL' me...I just hate everyone there...well except for Gympia, but she doesn't like me at all so there's no real point in liking her, right? And then there's Cygnas...'' She was stopped just before she began to freak out about the terrifying bully by her music falling silent. Her brow furrowed, she swung her head over to look at the screen. It was ringing, it was on vibrate though, and the caller ID was unknown, just showing an unfamiliar phone number. Puzzled, Genny picked it up and tentatively answered. "Hello?" She greeted questioningly, unsure of who was calling her of all dragons. "Would this happen to be...Genny with a G?" A familiar voice asked playfully, before her light laughter interrupted her. "I told you I'd call you." She said matter-of-factly. Genny felt her stomach wrench tightly. She had forgotten that she gave her number to Ally. "Uh, yeah that's me." She said numbly, her palms growing cold and clammy. Ally replied, her voice sounding weird through the call. "Okay good. Just making sure this was your number and not some fake one you made up: not that you would do that, eh?" She laughed, and there was a sound that sounded like she had dropped a pencil or something. There was another voice, muffled in the distance. Genny felt her heart drop. She's not alone...someone might be listening to the conversation. What if it's on speaker?! But before she could panic and hang up, Ally responded. "Ah, sorry, just dropped something. Anyways, I was wondering if you would want to come over my place? I can show you some of my cool art stuff." She said excitedly, and the other voice resurfaced, only much more distant, and spoke something inaudible. Genny gulped hard and began to really panic. The color drained from her face and her talons began shaking. Her voice caught in her throat, but she managed to choke out a few words, stumbling over them clumsily. "I, erm, okay I guess?" She spat out, regretting it instantly. She wished she could just eat her words back up and retry but the damage had already been done. "Great! I'll meet you at the store and we can walk together. Sound like a plan?" Genny wanted to scream and throw the phone out the window. "Yeah" she breathed in restraint. "Great! I'll see you in a little bit, then!" She exclaimed happily. There was a sound of movement before she hung up the phone, leaving Genny in a tense silence. From outside her room, down the hallway, a loud voice thundered. "Who was that, Gen?" Her mother asked, with a chorus of sounds behind her that made it sound like she was doing the dishes. "No one." Genny called back, resting her head in her claws. What have I gotten myself into...? chunk 24 Dalek perked up when she saw the coppery SkyWing. She was wearing an unusually prim and crisp white collared button-down shirt, with the sleeves bunched up at her elbows, and tied halfway into a makeshift crop-top. She had on high-waisted black shorts that were very short and tight, and she wore a lot of makeup: deep black around her eyes, making her multicolored eyes stand out as her most beautiful feature. Her septum ring shone in the light and her rose tattoo shimmered. The entire store was flooded with a shockingly clean and bright light from outside, and it casted a dark shadow on Genny as she entered. She felt self conscious, of course; she was only wearing a gross frumpy outfit consisting of old worn cargo shorts and a grubby old S. S. A. D. t-shirt. Her makeup was only slightly smudged, and here hazel eyes were still squinting. Ally, rounded the corner of the counter to meet Genny at the door, a cheery pep in her step. "Aw, I was hoping you would wear your glasses." She said, a bit disappointedly. Genny flushed a pale pink and coughed awkwardly. "Uh, no no I lost them." She lied, knowing perfectly well that they were in the bottom drawer of her nightstand. She shifted uncomfortably, still flustered and confused as to why she was even here in the first place. I REALLY shouldn't be hanging out with such an attractive girl...it'll only lead to a bunch of problems down the road...what if I start to '''actually' like her? Like, like like her? Oh no that would be awful...I mean she must be straight because I mean who isn't besides me? Ugh this is just too much for me...'' Ally frowned, "Oh. Well, that sucks..." She trailed off, furrowing her eyebrows and looking out the windows of the storefront. After a few seconds, her usual perky smile graced her snout again. "So, ready to go? It's not far: only like five minutes to walk." She shrugged, stepping forward to open the door again. She held the door very regally for Genny to exit, and the little SkyWing couldn't help but tense up and feel the need to literally bolt out the door and run home. Ive had enough practice from running to lunch to know I can outrun her...and if need be I can fly and outfly her...agh but I really '''should' just be polite and go with her. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? It's not like I'm gonna fall snout-over-tail for her in a matter of minutes...'' chunk 25 The door was unlocked, which Genny found strange; she always locked all doors when she left. She liked the privacy and safety it gave the room, but apparently Dalek didn't seem to care if a pack of crazy, drugged up crooks came by and just waltzed right in and did moons knows what. She shivered at the thought, and tried to calm down by watching the SeaWing turn the knob and open the door to her apartment. The sounds of the inner workings of the door seemed to soothe her frayed nerves for a second, but they were instantly put on end again when Ally actually wrapped her wing around her, and helped guide her into the apartment. If she hadn't gone to the bathroom before she left, Genny swore she would've peed herself it was so surprising and nerve-wracking and terrifying and agh! She froze, unable to move her tense, petrified muscles. Ally noticed her hesitation and looked back at her, a twinge of concern dancing in her eyes. "You okay?" She asked, her voice very breathy and cheery, though it revealed the slight tone of worry that she hid beneath a pearly white smile. Genny shook her head, hoping she could just relax and stop freaking out over everything. Genny, pull yourself together. Look at you: peeing yourself because someone pretty touched you. How pathetic is that? Now get your tail moving and stop holding her up, she thought to herself, trying to make her frozen claws move. After enough effort, she smiled sheepishly and entered the room, apologizing awkwardly for stopping. She kept her head to the floor out of embarrassment, hoping to hide her violently crimson cheeks. The floor was a pale hardwood and was very polished and clean. Genny was impressed, but scolded herself for thinking anything lower would come from Dalek, and then scolded herself again for thinking of her that way. The door shut behind them, and nervously, Genny looked up from the floor to see the apartment. It was small, but had high ceilings and a loft bed up by the three, slim skylights. The walls were all a pristine white, and the windows were large and tall. The back of the room, since the shape was a slender rectangle with the shorter side being the wall the door was on, has a huge window, and was basically just a glass wall. There was very little furniture, and no rugs: just a small table and a very uncomfortable looking couch. The only thing that made the apartment look like it was lived in was the massive mess of art...stuff everywhere. There were unfinished paintings stacked to shoulder height against the wall, and paint tubes and brushes all over the floor. But Genny's favorite part of the apartment was up by the ceiling; blue bottles of all shapes and sizes were hung on strings, and dangled precariously above their heads. They swayed in the slight breeze that wafted through the skylights, and casted dancing blue shadows on the stark white walls. Just being in that room felt like being deep under the ocean, with a silent beauty that could only be rivaled by the city of Silverfleck. Ally stood proudly, a wide grin splattered on her snout. She looked happily to Genny, who was awestruck by the room still. "Pretty cool, eh?" She asked, walking towards the window-wall. "The bottles are all recycled; I found them in trash cans and stuff...that's why some have cracks and stuff in em." She explained, staring wistfully out the wall. Genny nodded, even though Ally wouldn'tve been able to see. She was mesmerized by the swaying, oceanic ripples on the wall, and couldn't help but smile. She noticed Ally standing by the window alone, and her heart began beating in her ears, and she instantly forgot about the beauty of the room. Oh no oh no oh no oh no...she's there alone, does that mean she wants me to come over? Am I missing out on some weird 'girl code'? Agh, moons, why must this be so difficult?! I swear they need to make a 'guide to being a lesbian' book or 'Dos and Don'ts of being queer' or something...it would make everything sooooooo much easier. She questioned herself, just standing there, frozen on the spot. She hadn't realized Ally was talking. "-nd ya know, sometimes you gotta just go with it and just let it happen, ya know?" She said, awaiting a response. When all that met her was silence, she turned to see what the SkyWing was doing and why she didn't answer. Genny's eyes widened and she cleared her throat nervously. She had only heard the last part of the statement, and that ending could apply to a HUGE amount of topics, and she had no idea what she was going to be replying to. She decided to just wing it. She braced herself and replied. "Yeah." She breathed, confused and really hoping she had said the right thing. Her mind was flipping out at a mile a minute, congratulating her on speaking, criticizing her nervousness, and downright punishing her for even being there. She just smiled sheepishly and hoped for the best. Ally smiled back, her gauges bobbing slightly as she perked up. "Yeah, I still think it looks weird, but whatever." She laughed, gesturing with her wing to a weird, watery, splash-esque sculpture of what looked like plaster that somehow Genny hadn't noticed upon entering. The SkyWing nearly cried with relief; she had said the right thing. She made sure to tell the moons how thankful she was: HOLY THREE MOONS YES I LOVE YOU YEEESSSS THANK YOU THANK YOU AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! But visibly she only showed a slight relax in her rigid posture. She nodded daftly and smiled, "Yeah, kinda weird, but it looks really cool and oceany." Genny remarked, scorning herself for using such idiotic language. Oceany'? What in the name of the three moons is that?! Ugh Genny you are such a... a... a pillock! Yes! That's the kind of vocabulary you need to be using, you blundering imbecile.'' She commended herself for using such intellectual insults, not focusing on the fact that Ally had now flown up to the loft, and was calling for Genny to join her up there. Her method of coping by distraction had been working, but now it would be infinitely harder to distract herself. She self consciously tugged on the neck of her t-shirt and nervously made her way up; using one strong beat from her wings, she was up at the loft, and she scrambled onto the ledge, careful not to scratch or bump anything: especially Ally. She clumsily turned herself around and plopped down slowly an awkward distance away from the SeaWing. Ally raised one eyebrow, but dismissed the awkwardness. A relaxing air floated in the room, and the apartment sighed with tranquility. Meanwhile, Gennaia was on the verge of throwing up from severe anxiety. She tried to calm herself by watching the bottles, which were now at eye-level, but to no avail. She couldn't distract herself from the fact that Dalek was beside her, and that from all of the novels she's read and the movies she's watched, this was a very vulnerable spot. She tried hard to keep her mouth shut to prevent herself from speaking, and eventually just vomiting out all of her information, or my lunch, she thought grimly. She was dreading each passing second, and the air around her was taut and confused. "So, have you finished your portfolio?" Ally asked, glancing over to the petrified SkyWing. Genny didn't even think. "No." She said. Oh no, I should've said yes... "Well, maybe I can show you some stuff to put in it! Do you do contrast paintings?" She asked. "No." Ally grinned, "Oh, well you need one of those! I can show you how." She said proudly, but managed to still sound more helpful and boastful. "And abstract stuff and symmetry stuff and all that good stuff!" She said excitedly. The excessive use of the word 'stuff' kind of bothered Genny, but she remained stoic as ever. "Okay" "Okay. Well I have to go back to work, ya know? So...I'll call you again and we can talk about a date." She said, jumping down from the loft and walking to the door. Genny followed, panicking. Date? DATE?! WHAT?! oh, wait, she meant a date to meet up and do art stuff...I hope. "Okay." Genny and Ally walked together to the stairs and made their way to the ground floor. Once they reached the streets, they parted. Ally said bye, and Genny replied with her very confused and dazed "okay". Genny walked home alone. She made it to her front steps of her tiny little red house and stopped at the door. Rather than opening it, she banged her head on it, closing her eyes and clenching her claws. ''Why''' can't I just get this gay thing under control?'' chunk 26 "And then you just..." Dalek explained to Genny, who was squinting beside her. The SeaWing then scooped up some paint from the bucket she had in her talons, the kind you use to paint a wall, and splattered it onto a beautiful impressionist image she had painted before of a pristine white IceWing smiling. Now, the painting was splattered with a dull grey-blue, spraying dots around the dragon's face and hitting it's neck and forming an elegant arc over its head. Genny couldn't see all the details in the painting, but for what she could see, she knew that this manic SeaWing had just destroyed something that could rival even Orca's magnificent self portraits. She was speechless, and her jaw clenched tightly, trying to suppress the urge to scream at Ally for ruining the artwork, even though it was the SeaWing's anyways. Ally smiled at Genny, gesturing with her painty talon to the mess she had made of the beautiful painting. "Ya see? Expressive." She stated matter-of-factly, her confident grin spreading on her snout. Genny still couldn't speak for a minute or two until she finally gasped a few words. "Why would you ruin a painting like that?!" She breathed, overwhelmed by the blasphemy. Ally looked confused; her brow furrowed. "What do you mean ruin? It's expressive! C'mon, don't tell me you're one of those traditional old farts." she joked, nudging the SkyWing with her elbow. Genny swallowed, realizing only now that she was a traditional old fart. She still felt it strange though to ruin such a gorgeous picture by just splattering paint all over it. "No, but...couldn't you've just done something like impressionism to get the expression?" she questioned. Ally scoffed, "Psh, impressionism is for old dragons. This is abstract. Contemporary. It shows the sporadic and unpredictability of emotion, and represents how even the stablest dragons can be hit with severe feelings." Genny frowned, "Ohhkaayyyy...? I just see it as desecration." Ally rolled her eyes and moved the painting, and instead put a new painting in its place: a black and white, high-contrast painting of what looked like a dragon crying. The SeaWing, who was wearing a flowy white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, retrieved a bucket of paint, this time the color was bright, neon green. She lifted the bucket up and handed it to Genny, who just held it, confused. Ally cocked her head. "What's up? Just throw some paint at that sucker!" she proclaimed excitedly, acting like a three year old dragonet. Genny tried to raise one eyeridge like Ally did, but she ended up just raising both of them really awkwardly, and she blushed violently. She spat out her words, stumbling and tripping over them like an idiot. "B-but, why...? It's someone crying...? Why do I do this...bright green?" She was so confused, and looked closer at the paint. Ally deflated slightly. "Well, haven't you ever cried before?" Genny gulped. Moons yes. If I didn't stop myself, I'm pretty sure I would be bawling my eyes out right now. "Yeah" she answered plainly. The SeaWing scoffed, "Well then you must know what it feels like! When you just want to scream and bang on a wall and just...just get it out! Right?!" she shouted excitedly, bouncing with enthusiasm. "hence," she calmed herself, gesturing to the green paint in Genny's claws, "the green. It's bright and energetic and...and...loud!" she exclaimed, jumping happily and grabbing Genny's shoulders and shaking them playfully. If it was socially acceptable, Genny would've: 1, dropped the paint on the ground, 2, screamed at the top of her lungs, and 3, run out of the building as fast as draconically possible. Instead, she just smiled sheepishly. "Ah. Okay then. So do I just...?" she turned to the painting, dipping her claws nervously into the paint. It was cold and kind of thick, and if she didn't know it was paint, she would've been very convinced she had just submerged her talon into a bucket of vomit. Ally grinned. "Yep. Just...fling it!" Genny bit her lip, pulling her talon slowly out of the paint, lime green dripping from her claws. She raised it up to her chest, and with a very lame, pathetic flick, she splattered a sum total of five specks of paint. She looked back nervously to Ally, who was frowning deeply. Oh no I did it wrong. Ally cocked her head sideways to look at what the SkyWing did. Her brow furrowed again, and she righted her snout and looked at Genny with a crooked half-smile. "Are you serious? C'mon, you can do better than that!" she chided, suddenly grabbing the SkyWing's paint-dripping claws with her own, roughly dunking them in the paint bucket. Little drops splashed out and got on their forearms and the floor. Ally pulled both their claws out, and they were soaked with paint. Genny was literally frozen, her mind panicking like never before. HOLY MOONS WHAT IS SHE DOING SHE'S HOLDING MY TALON OHHH MYYY MOOOOOONNS NO NO NONONONO Ally continued, oblivious to the fact that the other was dying mentally. She lifted the two of their talons up and violently flung the neon paint at the canvas, hitting the dragon square in the throat, and splatting up, behind it's neck. They kept their claws entwined for a few seconds afterward, and the SeaWing seemed to be oblivious to the tenseness that was literally glowing off of her scales like smoke off of the late SkyWing champion. Eventually, Ally let go, their painty claws dripping all over the floor. Genny smiled sheepishly, and flushed a vibrant crimson. Why did she have to do that?! What part of my body language screams "hold my talon please right now"...? chunk 27 wippity wipwip Part Three Part Four Part Five wip {|